The invention relates to the field of distribution towers for fertilizer and other particulate materials and increases the storage capacity of such towers as well as providing for accurate weighing of the material to permit the formulation of specific combinations of material, and the mixing and blending of the material to obtain a homogeneous mix.
Large, upright distribution towers are commonly utilized for storage of chemical fertilizer materials in most agricultural areas. Typically such towers are over fifty feet in height and have a plurality of fertilizer storage containers near the top of the tower for the separate containment of a number of different chemical fertilizers. The now available towers frequently have a weighing bin positioned immediately below the storage containers to weigh quantities of fertilizer material discharged from one or more containers to formulate a specific, predetermined blend of fertilizers for a particular farming requirement. After weighing, the materials are discharged to a second bin generally located below the weighing bin, and there are blended to obtain a homogeneous mixture. After blending in the second bin, the material is discharged into a truck and sold.
A serious shortcoming of these known distribution towers is their usage of two separate and fairly large bins for the weighing and mixing of the fertilizer material. Normally these large bins are positioned one above the other and collectively may occupy seventeen or moe vertical feet of the tower. If the space now occupied for mixing and weighing particulate material could be reduced, the tower height could be shortened. Alternatively, the internal storage capacity of the tower could be substantially increased without change in tower height.
Still another problem encountered with the known distribution towers is that the weighing and mixing bins utilize a substantial number of moving parts and because of the extremely corrosive nature of most commercial fertilizers, are prone to rusting and heavy wear in the caustic environment. In view of the continual presence of these corrosive materials, it is desirable to provide weighing and mixing equipment with few moving parts and wherein vulnerable parts are easily accessible for repair or replacement.